How to Attract Your Ideal Art Buyer by Being Specific

Are you concerned about getting too specific in describing your ideal art buyer? Perhaps you’re afraid that you might alienate people who could be interested in buying your work. It seems counter-intuitive to ignore a large number of people by focusing on a specific ideal buyer, doesn't it? But it's actually true: the more specific you can get on your ideal art buyer, the better you will be at reaching them and selling your work.

Here’s why you should create a super-specific ideal buyer profile:

1 | The more detailed you get, the better you will be at speaking to your ideal art buyer

Once you develop your ideal buyer profile, you can speak to their interest in your work, their passions, the value your work brings to their life, and more. When you do that, the people you are trying to reach and attract—your ideal buyers—will feel like you’re speaking directly to them. It will make them feel special, understood, and will make them interested in knowing more.

These days, the way the world is overloaded with information, the most important thing you can do to sell your work is to make personal connections. And your detailed ideal buyer description is the most important tool to help you get there.

2 | Being narrow with your ideal buyer definition will actually help you attract new art buyers

Did you notice that I said attract rather than find?

I make this distinction intentionally because “finding” your ideal buyer actually isn’t a process of searching and finding. Instead, it is a process of honing your voice and your message for just the right people, then putting yourself and your work in situations where your ideal buyers are most likely to be.

That’s where the attraction comes into play.

By being detailed and specific about who would be interested in buying your art, you will be much more successful at attracting those people. Make sure that you’re being as specific as possible so that when you're meeting people, whether it’s on Facebook or Instagram, at a summer art festival, a group show, or a networking event, the right people (the ones your art is just right for), are the ones who will be the most attracted to you.

Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash

3 | The more detail you can include on your ideal buyer profile, the better you can be at making marketing decisions

Knowing your ideal buyer helps you decide where to spend your marketing time, from social media to pursuing gallery representation. If you think about where you are most likely to find your ideal buyer, this will guide you as you create your marketing strategy, and you’ll be able to be specific and detailed about where you’ll spend your marketing efforts. Want more on making good marketing decisions? Check out this post on How a Marketing Plan will Help You Sell More Art >>

4 | The more specific you get about your ideal art buyer, the farther you move away from trying to make your work appeal to everyone

If you’re trying to appeal to everyone, you won’t appeal to anyone.

Trying to appeal to a broad group of people—everyone—can be a death sentence for your art business for several reasons:

You will end up with work that is “interesting” but doesn’t connect with anyone deeply enough to compel them to buy it

You will hear praise for your technique, but nothing about connecting with people at a deeper level, which will result in little or no sales

People won’t know how to describe you to others, which can affect your ability to receive referrals, connect to partners, receive media coverage, and more

If you are experiencing any or all of these issues, go back to your ideal buyer profile and get more specific.

5 | With a specific ideal art buyer in mind, you will be better at creating work that is appealing to them

If you have taken the time to create a detailed ideal buyer profile and keep that in mind regularly, you can’t help but think about your ideal buyer’s passions, interests, and reasons for buying your work.

You’ve got your own unique style that you’ve developed by delving into the well of creativity deep inside you. Now come up with a detailed description of the type of person who responds to your creations (your ideal buyer profile) and keep that in mind as you’re producing artwork to sell. It’s almost as if you are creating a piece of work for a close friend. When you do that, you’ll find that your work sells more easily.

6 | A specific ideal buyer profile will help you know who you need to connect with to sell more art

With a detailed ideal buyer description, you will easily be able to come up with lists of people through whom you could be introduced to your ideal buyer. Think of your ideal buyer and how they spend their time, whether it's where they work, what they do in their leisure time, or where they get their news from. This will help connect you to those possible partnership or referral opportunities.

Brainstorm where those networking opportunities might be: will they come through a local non-profit organization, a horse rescue operation, a realtor who specializes in designing modern and contemporary homes, an interior designer or architect who specializes in mountain vacation properties?

The more you think about who it is that interacts with your ideal buyer, the more successful you will be at creating these partnerships, connections, and referral opportunities, which will help you sell more work.

7 | A very specific ideal art buyer profile won’t lead you to turn other prospective buyers away

As you market your work in a variety of ways, you will engage with a lot of people. Some won’t be attracted to your work at all, which is fine—they’re not right for you either. Others will be very interested and feel connected to your work—those are your ideal buyers.

And then there are people in the middle: some will lean toward the less interested side and some will lean toward the more interested side. Those on the more interested side are the ones you want to engage in conversation with, add to your email list, and build relationships with. They are your newest potential customers.

I hope I’ve persuaded you to dig into your ideal buyer and create a profile that is as detailed as possible. Don’t worry that you are limiting the number of people in your potential audience (because there is always enough for everyone—I choose to believe this and so should you). Don’t worry that you might be ignoring too many people because you won’t be—you’ll just be paying more attention to the right ones.

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If there are topics that you’d like me to write about, please comment below and let me know what’s on your mind. I am always excited to share marketing tips and tactics with you.